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GEM24
India
12 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 25 2007 : 10:02:44 PM
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In the "Secrets of Wilder", Yogani writes about active surrender.
Wha does it mean? How do we actively surrender?
Thanks |
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Katrine
Norway
1813 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 3:47:00 PM
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Hi Gem
To activly surrender is to knowingly allow what already is.
When I willingly cease the constant activity (mental or otherwise) done solely for the "me" and "mine" (the person I think i am and its world), all the energy previously invested in such activity, is freed to be instead. In being - in the heart (awareness) - there is no acitivity. Yet it is all the time active. Spontanious action ....always perfectly fitted to the moment.
To activly surrender, is to be willingly aware of how I identify with my personality; and to stay awake and alert so that I gradually - through the understanding awareness brings - cease to go with the ideas of the mind/person rather than what is. It is to cease reacting....so that responding to the moment can take place - for the good of all.
This is the meaning of integration....harmony between the "inner" and "outer".....eventually revealing that all is one.
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Zelebe
Netherlands
35 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 3:57:46 PM
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Now that's an answer  |
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blujett8
USA
47 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2007 : 6:01:08 PM
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wow, Katrine....thanks for that....and thanks GEM24 for initiating....
most excellent!
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GEM24
India
12 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2007 : 08:11:07 AM
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| Thanks a lot Katrina |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2007 : 11:39:11 AM
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Great post, Katrine!
This 'active surrender' is essentially a form of Spiritual Devotion or Bhakti Yoga, is it not? By willingly surrendering ourselves to God, we allow the Divine Presence to lead our minds to One-ness, to form our words from One-ness, and to spontaneously direct our activities in One-ness.
In this way, such surrender is not giving up anything of value to our Self-Realization, but is instead a conscious choice to be liberated from all sense of ego separation. This results in a opening up of mind, heart, and spirit to the fullness of Union with God, and to the activated fullness of Infinite Knowledge, Power and Grace inherently residing in the Divine Source of All That Is!
Hari OM!
Doc |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2007 : 8:19:42 PM
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quote:
Doc said: In this way, such surrender is not giving up anything of value to our Self-Realization
I was struck by this comment Doc and I may be misreading it or taking it out of context, so forgive me if this is so.
My view would be that "not giving up anything of value" would not constitute active surrender.
Active surrender, to me, means giving up everything. It means giving up all my concepts, all my ideas, all my identities, all my thoughts, my soul, Christ, Buddha, Tai Chi. It means giving up who I am as Louis or who you are as Doc.
And when we shed every vestage of who we are and who we identify ourselves with, including God, then we have surrendered.
I acknowledge this is a gradual process, which you have allured to, but nevertheless this would be the process as I see it.
Just my view, for what it's worth
Louis |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2007 : 9:35:36 PM
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Louis:
You misinterpreted my statement to the max, plucking it totally out of context! Did you not understand my first paragraph? I said "By willingly surrendering ourselves to God, we allow the Divine Presence to lead our minds to One-ness, to form our words from One-ness, and to spontaneously direct our activities in One-ness". And I followed that with "In this way, such surrender is not giving up anything of value to our Self-Realization, but is instead a conscious choice to be liberated from all sense of ego separation."
As a man of Faith, perhaps I abide by a different Covenant with God than you do, but for me this means surrendering everything to Divine Will and Divine Providence...letting go of all that is not of God, all that is separate from Union with God. As such, this does not include detachment from God, but only detachment from imperfect intellectual concepts of God.
http://beaconforlife.blogs.com/past...n-of-God.jpg
Hari OM!
Doc |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4429 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 02:11:31 AM
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Hi Doc,
quote:
In this way, such surrender is not giving up anything of value to our Self-Realization, but is instead a conscious choice to be liberated from all sense of ego separation.
Maybe you could explain a bit what these things of value are that we don't give up in the process of surrender, then it might be clearer to everyone what you are talking about.
Christi |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 04:45:20 AM
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Thanks for your clarification Doc
As well as being interested to hear your answer to Christi,
I am also curious to know what it means to you to be "A man of Faith".
For instance how does this relate to direct experience and insight.
Louis
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Edited by - Sparkle on Mar 20 2007 05:50:10 AM |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 11:24:13 AM
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Hi Christi:
Since this is apparently an instance of quibbling over semantics, allow me to re-phrase my original statement in hopes of better conveying my intended meaning.
"...not giving up anything of value...", to me, means giving up everthing previosuly valued...i.e. no attachment is retained to anything valued prior to total surrender to God. Please forgive me for not making that more clear to all of you initially. 
Hari OM!
Doc |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 11:39:14 AM
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Hi Louis:
Total Surrender to the Will of God, with complete Trust in Divine Providence as the Source of All, is the direct experience of a Covenant of Faith.
Blessed Be All!
Doc |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 7:15:09 PM
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Thanks Doc
Some of your language is not familiar to me.
I looked up "Covenant of Faith" and found this as an example:
http://www.gracebiblecamp.com/Our%2...%20Faith.htm
Do you have something similar, or do you have anything so defined?
Thanks
Louis |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2007 : 9:25:58 PM
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Hi Louis:
The link you provided is to a Southern Fundamentalist Protestant Christian group who has taken a traditional Christian term...'Covenant of Faith'...and copyrighted it as a proprietary name for their own church organization. They probably do so with an implied reference to the New Covenant manifested by Christ to fulfill and complete the Old Covenants established by God with the Hebrews and Jews.
Similarly, people in the yoga community took the traditional yoga term 'Ashtanga Yoga' and copyrighted it as their own organization's proprietary name.
In my traditional use of the term, Covenant of Faith refers to a Promisory Spiritual Agreement, or Covenant, between God and an individual believer. In this Covenant, the person of faith freely promises to completely and totally surrender themself and their life to the Will of God in the Faith belief and understanding that all personal needs, both spiritual and material, will be provided through the Grace and Blessings of Divine Providence so long as a sincere trust of Surrender and Faith is maintained.
Light and Love to All!
Doc
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Edited by - Doc on Mar 20 2007 9:50:13 PM |
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Sparkle
Ireland
1457 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2007 : 05:11:52 AM
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quote:
In my traditional use of the term, Covenant of Faith refers to a Promisory Spiritual Agreement, or Covenant, between God and an individual believer. In this Covenant, the person of faith freely promises to completely and totally surrender themself and their life to the Will of God in the Faith belief and understanding that all personal needs, both spiritual and material, will be provided through the Grace and Blessings of Divine Providence so long as a sincere trust of Surrender and Faith is maintained.
That's beautiful Doc, I'm beginning to learn a little about surrender myself.
It is only in the past couple of years with the help of the Buddhist Heart Sutra and mindfulness and in particular the AYP practices with a special mention for samyama and this fabulous forum, that I feel I have a concrete set of tools for the development and nurturing of surrender.
Having said that I am probably not being fair to my Christian upbringing. For the first half of my life I would say everyday, the prayer "Oh sweetest heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee".
Some of it had to rub off I guess 
Namaste
Louis
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Christi
United Kingdom
4429 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2007 : 07:51:11 AM
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Hi Doc,
quote:
In my traditional use of the term, Covenant of Faith refers to a Promisory Spiritual Agreement, or Covenant, between God and an individual believer. In this Covenant, the person of faith freely promises to completely and totally surrender themself and their life to the Will of God in the Faith belief and understanding that all personal needs, both spiritual and material, will be provided through the Grace and Blessings of Divine Providence so long as a sincere trust of Surrender and Faith is maintained.
After reading your post, I realized that I have been a man of Faith for years without knowing it. Thanks for that, and for clarifying your earlier post.
Christi |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2007 : 4:17:14 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Sparkle:
For the first half of my life I would say everyday, the prayer "Oh sweetest heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee".
Some of it had to rub off I guess.
Hi Louis:
Sounds like you're already in God's hands. Perhaps even more insight and benefit could "rub off" from so many repetitions of that lovely prayer by contemplating exactly what personal qualities of Being create the "Sweetest Heart" in Jesus, and how such personal attributes generate trust in Him.
And how might such a prayer infuse any of us with similar personal qualities and attributes, so that we also manifest a Sweet Heart, which we ourselves and others implicitly trust? 
http://www.downloadfreechristianmus...smercy12.jpg
Greek Orthodox Troparia:
"Sweetest Jesus, heal the wounds of my soul, and make sweet my heart, O Most Merciful One..."
Canon: Tone 2 Song 1
Blessed Be!
Doc |
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Doc
USA
394 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2007 : 4:26:55 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Christi
"After reading your post, I realized that I have been a man of Faith for years without knowing it. Thanks for that..."
Hi Christi:
Outstanding realization! I'm happy that I could contribute something of worth to you. May you ever continue on your Spiritual Path as a man of Faith, both now and always!
Blessed Be!
Doc
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Nirodha
New Zealand
86 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2007 : 08:03:34 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by GEM24
In the "Secrets of Wilder", Yogani writes about active surrender.
Wha does it mean? How do we actively surrender?
Thanks
Hi GEM24,
Not having read the book, I can't discern which context the term may have been used in. If you care to clarify it for me I'd appreciate it.
However, I'll give you may own take on "active surrender" in the context of meditation - perhaps it will be of some use to you.
During meditation, I, first, relax the entire body and mind, and then release all tension from the body and mind, then smile and proceed to the object of meditation. I do this as many times as necessary until some joy and pleasure (i.e. I've entered Samadhi) starts to arise and then I make that joy and pleasure my new object of meditation.
Whenever I become distracted from my object of meditation, be it the initial one or the newly arisen joy and pleasure, I repeat the relaxing, releasing and smiling sequence again, as often as necessary, until my awareness has become stable.
My intention to relax, release and smile is the 'active' part of the equation. And, the act of relaxing, releasing and smiling is the 'surrender'.
May you all be happy and achieve the highest bliss,
Nirodha
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Edited by - Nirodha on Apr 02 2007 9:13:31 PM |
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Active Surrender
